VoIP New Telephone System Technology Overview

The new VoIP phone system uses mostly standard computer hardware and open source software.  It has been setup as a set of redundant systems in the basement of Broida (0018) and the PCS server room (Broida 5217). The system has a digital PRI connection to the campus phone system for outside PSTN (public switched telephone network) and campus PBX access.

The primary components of the new phone system are:

1.   Voice VLAN on Physics network - this is a dedicated, private data network used exclusively for the communication of the IP telephones and the phone servers. This network is in place throughout Broida Hall, the Lecture Hall, Building 328, Building 407 and the FEL, and can be extended to almost any location with a current UCSB campus connection.

2.   SIP server (voicemail.physics.ucsb.edu) - this arranges for calls from one Internet device (such as one of the new phones or a software phone application running on a computer) and another.

3.    Asterisk server (voicemail.physics.ucsb.edu)- this provides connections between the Internet based phones and traditional phone systems, including our campus PBX and our long distance carriers. 

4.    The voicemail system - (voicemail.physics.ucsb.edu) this is running on the Asterisk servers and is quite similar to the current UCSB campus voicemail system or other systems you may already be familiar with. One major new feature is that it can send your voicemail messages to your email, so you listen to them anywhere you can access email. There is also a web-based service, much like webmail, used to interface with saved voicemail messages and for self-service of specific features by user or extension.

5.    IP telephones - We are currently deploying and testing desktop handsets made by Aastra.  These are multi-line, speaker phones with an easy-to-use feature set. However, one of the advantages of an Internet standards-based system is that we are not confined to a single vendor’s phones.

6.    Softphones - this is software which runs on a computer and acts as a fully functioning phone (typically used with a headset).  There are many different softphones available to choose from.  We are currently recommending X-Lite from Xten because it is reliable, runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and is free. Softphones are typically used as "travelling extensions" that ring in addition to your "fixed" handset.